JobsOhio says it used grants, tax breaks, and other incentives to help secure the new jobs and keep another 70,000 jobs in Ohio last year.

The report says JobsOhio helped create more 4,500 jobs in advanced manufacturing; that was followed by information technologies, financial services, and food processing and agribusiness.

The 2013 report showed decreases in overall projects, jobs created, and new payroll compared to 2012.

JobsOhio is technically a private non-profit that uses the state’s wholesale liquor profits to dole out job incentives. It’s seen widespread criticism from Democrats, who says job numbers are overblown and the agency is cloaked in secrecy.

Ohio's state auditor has scolded Gov. John Kasich's signature job-creation effort for sloppy handling of ethics and conflict-of-interest procedures in its first year, but says no business conflicts exist among its executives.

Ohio’s state auditor has scolded Gov. John Kasich’s signature job-creation effort for sloppy handling of ethics and conflict-of-interest procedures in its first year, but says no business conflicts exist among its executives.

A compliance audit released Thursday by Republican Auditor Dave Yost followed a high-profile fight for access to JobsOhio’s private books. The review did not assess the office’s fiscal health, but slapped the office for several instances where it lacked or didn’t follow internal procedures.